Industry Update - April 26, 2019

By Jeremy Feucht

Did you Know?

As we have seen time and time again, it is the trucking industry that comes to the rescue during many emergencies across the US. Few events show this heroism more than the events that took place after April 25, 2014. This was the date where Flint, MI, residents learned the dangers of their tap water. Filled with E. coli, lead and other contaminants, residents were forced to be without water. Truckers stepped up by brining in bottled water for the people of Flint so they could have life’s most basic necessity.

Trucking tip of the Week

Load Securement: Time consuming, potentially dangerous depending on the load, difficult but absolutely necessary. It is one of those things that seems so common place that we shouldn’t be talking about it, yet it is odd how many trucks I see where it is painfully obvious the driver hasn’t secured their load. Take an extra couple of minutes to ensure your load is tied down and secured properly. A potential danger to yourself and others is not worth it, not even mentioning the large fine that can find its way to you at a weigh station or by highway patrol.

Research

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is looking for carriers for a research project. The research project wants to learn about the operational costs of the trucking industry. This means they want access to fuel costs, insurance premiums, driver pay, vehicle costs and more. They are not just looking for information from big fleets, they want to hear from owner-operators too.

Alternative Fuel

Last week, Nikola made headlines with the demonstration of their new hydrogen powered vehicle. This week, Kenworth and Toyota made headlines with the revelation of their joint ventured project. Working with CARB (California Air Resource Board),Toyota and Kenworth are set to launch 10 hydrogen fuel celled vehicles that will operate in the southern California area sometime between October and December of this year.

Trucking and Fishing

All over the US, ponds, lakes, reservoirs and even some rivers are stocked with fish multiple times per year. There is only one way to get fish from the hatchery to their final destination and that is by truck. Little is made about the effort and care that is put in to keep the fish safe and healthy on their journey and even less thought is put in by the general public. The Mail Tribune out of Medford, OR, has created a three-part video to talk about this process. The link provided here is to part three as it is the only page with direct access to all the videos.